Cape canine wins national award

A Cape canine will take center stage during a national telecast Thanksgiving Day. Holly, an English pointer from Marstons Mills, earned “Best in Show” at The National Dog Show Saturday in Reading, Pa.

A Cape canine will take center stage during a national telecast Thanksgiving Day. Holly, an English pointer from Marstons Mills, earned “Best in Show” at The National Dog Show Saturday in Reading, Pa.

Holly, whose official show name is “Champion Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry,” beat out 1,600 canine contestants for the dog show’s top prize.

The honor is nothing new for the nearly three-year-old English pointer. Holly has won 95 Best in Show Awards since September 2007, said her co-owner, Marstons Mills resident Helyne Medeiros. But The National Dog Show award holds extra meaning since TV viewers nationwide will get to watch Holly strut her stuff, Medeiros said.

“It’s one of the most prestigious shows because it’s televised on NBC. It was a very exciting win for all of us,” Medeiros said.

Medeiros and about 20 family members and friends will be watching the noon airing of the dog show to celebrate Holly’s winning effort. Holly’s father, Lord Jim, the Medeiros family pet and a retired show dog himself, will be part of the celebration, Medeiros said.However, Holly will have to pass on the Marstons Mills party.She spends most of her time in Maryland with trainer Michael Scott. “She goes to shows every single weekend,” Medeiros said. Bred to be a show dog, Holly will retire in about a year, Medeiros said. At that time, the English pointer will come back to the Cape for a more sedate lifestyle as a pet for Medeiros, her husband, Kevin, and their two young sons.

Until then, Medeiros said her 60-pound show dog, which stands at 25 inches high, appears to be enjoying her celebrity lifestyle. “She has a special bond with her handler,” Medeiros said. “She loves to make him happy. She loves to go in there and put on a show.”

Dorothy Collier, who judged Holly Saturday, was certainly convinced.A dog show judge for 25 years, Collier told the Times last night that Holly is “the best pointer I’ve ever seen.”

Holly advanced to the final Best in Show competition Saturday, then beat out six other dogs picked for the dog show’s top prize. Collier said Holly excelled in her physical traits, with her body matching up well with the “breed standard.”

With the English pointer’s “outgoing, confident” temperament and easy flowing movement, Collier was smitten.